Ram Dass on dealing with police

Nov 01, 2010 Ram Dass on dealing with police

Ram Dass — whom I have blogged about many times, including here — recounts an encounter with a police officer on a traffic stop, where Ram Dass saw the trooper as Krishna, or as a deity, and where the police officer seemed not to want to leave such a positive encounter.

I think Ram Dass’s message is to treat everyone in that way. This of course is easier said than done when so many others mistreat people, and where so many more appear to do so. By the same token, the magic mirror principle makes it more likely that people will rise to heights of humanity when we give them at least the benefit of the doubt that they are able to do so right here right now, when we help encourage them to do so, and when we acknowledge when they do so, no matter any of their past trespasses, real or suspected.

Such an approach to others is far from any overly-optimistic touchy-feely approach to life. It is about persuasion, at the very core, and, at a higher level, about harmonizing all the rifts and pain that billions of people experience on a daily basis. It is also about acknowledging that we all are connected.